Larry Bird drives IndyCar to deliver Indiana Pacers’ All-Star Game bid
Larry Bird drove an Indiana Pacers-branded IndyCar as the team delivered their bid to host the 2021 All-Star festivities to the NBA offices in New York on Monday.
The stunt not only added glamour to the Pacers’ proposal, but it is also something Bird, the franchise president, has always wanted to do.
Indianapolis last hosted the All-Star Game in 1985, in what was then the Hoosier Dome. The only confirmed site for a future All-Star weekend is Los Angeles for next year’s event.
The Pacers decided to ramp up an effort to land the league’s midseason showcase when NBA commissioner Adam Silver attended the groundbreaking of the team’s new $50 million practice facility.
During the Pacers’ visit to London for a game against the Denver Nuggets, Silver said: “I think it’s highly likely that we will return to Indianapolis for an All-Star Game in the near future.”
Bird and the rest of the team will be hoping the effort put into delivering their bid has them in the driving seat for the event.
Start your engines! Larry Legend is ready to roll to the @NBA headquarters. pic.twitter.com/1d83G1XEjz
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 24, 2017
Larry Bird takes a spin down 5th Avenue. pic.twitter.com/rEeaBTiwpN
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 24, 2017
Larry’s IndyCar is turning some heads on 5th Avenue. pic.twitter.com/q2mQUR4Wvl
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 24, 2017
“That was a bucket list thing!” -Larry Bird tells Commissioner Adam Silver about the IndyCar experience down 5th Avenue. pic.twitter.com/Joro74UUo2
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 24, 2017
Mission accomplished. Our bid for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game has been officially submitted. pic.twitter.com/qhFfR9ldCk
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 24, 2017
